These soft and chewy Molasses Cookies are hands down my all time favorite Christmas Cookie! Every year they are the crowd favorite from my Christmas Cookie Roundup.
Table of Contents
Why I Love This Recipe
These Molasses Cookies come from my mom - who I think got the recipe from my her mom and she probably got it from her mom. Who knows. Either way - these Molasses Cookies are perfection. The dough comes together quickly, chills in the fridge to harden it up, and then rolled into balls and coated in sugar before baking. The result is a perfectly soft and chewy molasses cookie that you'll totally love!
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Unsalted Butter – I like to use unsalted butter when baking to control the amount of salt I add to the recipe. Make sure your butter is at room temperature before creaming it together with the sugars to yield the best results.
- White Sugar– White sugar helps aerate the cookies when creamed with the butter to create tiny air pockets for a crispier cookie.
- Egg – Use large eggs at room temperature. If they're straight from the fridge, they will make the butter seize and won't combine evenly.
- Dark Molasses – Some people might tell you that you can substitute other ingredients like Maple Syrup, Cane Syrup or Sorghum Syrup, but there really isn't anything else that compares to the flavor of molasses. It's carried at almost every grocery store so it's easy to come by, and it keeps for years in the pantry!
- All-Purpose Flour – Measured by scoop and leveling.
- Baking Soda – For leavening, texture, flavor, and browning.
- Spices – I like using a combination of cinnamon, ground cloves, and ground ginger.
*For full list of ingredients and instructions please see recipe card at the bottom of the post.
How to Make Molasses Cookies
Step 1: In a large stand mixer combine the butter, sugar, egg and molasses. Mix for a minute or two until well combined.
Step 2: Slowly add the flour mixture and mix until evenly combined. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Step 3: Once chilled, scoop 2 tablespoons of dough at a time and roll into balls.
Step 4: Roll them around in a small cup of sugar and set onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
Step 5: After baking remove from the oven and transfer the cookies onto a cooling rack to cool.
Step 6: Store any leftover Molasses Cookies in the freezer. This way they stay fresh even longer!
The in's and outs of Molasses Cookies!
- What does molasses do for cookies?
- Molasses makes baked goods extra soft so these cookies stay chewy even longer!
- What's a good substitute for molasses?
- Some people might tell you that you can substitute other ingredients like Maple Syrup, Cane Syrup or Sorghum Syrup, but there really isn't anything else that compares to the flavor of molasses. It's carried at almost every grocery store so it's easy to come by, and it keeps for years in the pantry!
- How do you store molasses cookies?
- My family has been storing them in the freezer since I was a kid. I'll take out as many as I need an hour or so before I plan on eating them and let them come to room temp. This way they stay fresh even longer! You can also nuke them in the microwave for 10 seconds when they come out of the freezer to speed the process up
- Should I use light or dark molasses?
- For baking - always use dark molasses!
So whip up a double batch of these and store them in the freezer for the next few weeks while you’re prepping for the holidays! Grab a few when you’re sweet tooth strikes and warm them up a bit in the microwave just so you can pretend you’re eating a cooking fresh outta the oven. They are pure perfection - I promise!
If you tried this recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting today!
Molasses Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 cup white sugar, plus extra for rolling
- 1 egg
- ⅓ cup dark molasses
- 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour (measured by scoop and leveling)
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon powdered ginger
Instructions
- In a large stand mixer combine the butter, sugar, egg and molasses. Mix for a minute or two until well combined.
- Combine the flour, cloves, ginger cinnamon and baking soda and sift together.
- Slowly add the flour mixture to the molasses mixture and mix until evenly combined. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Once chilled, scoop 2 tablespoons of dough at a time and roll into balls. Roll them around in a small cup of sugar and set onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and transfer the cookies onto a cooling rack to cool.
Notes
- What does molasses do for cookies?
- Molasses makes baked goods extra soft so these cookies stay chewy even longer!
- What’s a good substitute for molasses?
- Some people might tell you that you can substitute other ingredients like Maple Syrup, Cane Syrup or Sorghum Syrup, but there really isn’t anything else that compares to the flavor of molasses. It’s carried at almost every grocery store so it’s easy to come by, and it keeps for years in the pantry!
- How do you store molasses cookies?
- My family has been storing them in the freezer since I was a kid. I’ll take out as many as I need an hour or so before I plan on eating them and let them come to room temp. This way they stay fresh even longer! You can also nuke them in the microwave for 10 seconds when they come out of the freezer to speed the process up
- Should I use light or dark molasses?
- For baking – always use dark molasses!
I love how this recipe uses melted butter. I always find creaming butter and sugar together so...annoying. What can I say? I'm lazy!
ahahahaha I hear you!!! melted butter all the way
Molasses cookies, my favorite. Did I read that correctly.... 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie?
yup! 1-2 tablespoons of dough per cookie
Hands down my favorite! I will be making these and your chocolate crinkle cookies very soon. I love that they can be frozen and are just as delicious after the thaw.
I love family recipes. There's a reason they get passed down - they're really good. NowI know what I am making with that bottle of molasses that's been in my pantry!
I too would love to have your Gluten Free Molasses Cookie recipe back... I have three sweet little boys who are craving some delicious GF molasses cookies! =) Is it possible to put these back on the site? Thank you so much!!
Hi Erika! I removed them because a few people kept saying that they were having issues with the recipe - so I was going to re-test it and make sure I didn't mis-print anything. Have you made them before?? Let me find the recipe and email it to you!
Try almond flour that's great for gluten-free, recipes, cakes too! Cat O
Thank you Gaby! I haven't tried the recipe before, but a friend sent me the link... I'm going to try them right now and I'll let you know how they turn out! =) Thanks again!
Ok, I tried a gluten free version of this last night and they came out pretty good! Here's my *modified* recipe (of Gaby's GF version) for anyone that might want to try it themselves.
* 2 1/4 cups All Purpose Gluten Free Flour (I used King Arthur Brand)
* ¾ tsp. Xanthan Gum (essential to most GF cooking for binding)
½ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp powdered ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
* ½ tsp Salt
¾ cup butter, melted
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup molasses
You must refrigerate the mixture for at least 2 hours before baking - and don't press the cookie ball down... otherwise you will end up with a very flat, hard cookie. It wasn't the best Ginger Snap / Molasses cookie I've ever eaten, but it tasted great and they were devoured by my family in no time! =)
Thanks again Gaby!
You used to have the gluten free molasses cookie recipe on your page and it was AMAZING! I had bookmarked because I made them so frequently. I went to fetch it earlier today to make these incredible cookies for my cookie party this year but the link no longer works!!? I'm so disappointed, is there anyway you can re post it or direct me on how to find it?? No recipe compares- even the link to one at the bottom. Thanks for all of your great recipes, we love them at our house!
just emailed you 🙂
Could you send it to me too? These sound great!
They turned out great, thanks so much! I moved to Australia almost 2 years ago and they don't do cookies like this here. Yum!!!
I am definitely making these for the holidays! Yummmmm
Great tip from Joan from Joan's on Third - wet ball of dough and then dip in sugar - see her great recipe in Fall issue of edible LA or on website.
Molasses cookies are some of our favorites here. I will try your recipe- yours look delicious!
Yum!! Those look so good and soft, just how I like them! I am going to have to try to make some of these, hopefully they turn out as well as yours!
I want some of these immediately! They look amazing!
I need to bake these soon, it is the season for them!
Too bad I am going to work this morning, or I would be home making these! Alas, they will have to wait for tomorrow! One of my all time favorites!
The timeliness of this is uncanny! I just saw my Molasses last night, and thought aha! Then I said to myself "self - don't forget where that is so you can make some Molasses Cookies". I"m not even kidding. Too funny. These look fantastic, so I quickly Stumbled them so I can come back time and again.
Thank you,
Emily
http://www.justeatfood.com